Posted on 01/07/2016 5:06:58 AM PST by PreciousLiberty
Instances of volcanic eruptions are their highest for 300 years and scientists fear a major one that could kill millions and devastate the planet is a real possibility.
Experts at the European Science Foundation said volcanoes - especially super-volcanoes like the one at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, which has a caldera measuring 34 by 45 miles (55 by 72 km) - pose more threat to Earth and the survival of humans than asteroids, earthquakes, nuclear war and global warming.
There are few real contingency plans in place to deal with the ticking time bomb, which they conclude is likely to go off within the next 80 years.
The world's most dangerous active volcanoes include Yellowstone, Mount Vesuvius in Campagnia, Italy, and Popocatepetl i near Mexico City.
If any of them or other massive volcanic peaks suffered a major eruption the team said millions of people would die and earth's atmosphere would be poisoned with ash and other toxins "beyond the imagination of anything man's activity and global warming could do over 1,000 years.
The chance of such as eruption happening at one of the major volcanoes within 80 years is put at five to ten per cent by the experts.
(Excerpt) Read more at express.co.uk ...
Shorter growing seasons
General cooling of the climate
Increased storm severity
Famine, mass starvation, and disease.
Considering those were the effects of a short term (2-3 year long) cooling influence in the climate, it is apparent that cooling is not the way we want the climate to go. While certainly warming can occur to the point where it would be detrimental to humans, it would appear to be the preferred state in terms of agricultural productivity and human prosperity.
That model shows some east west distortion, but I don’t think it allows for Arctic high pressure systems moving south into the updraft created by the eruption. I believe that would push the ash envelope south from the Dakotas eastward.
I have been in an area where the soil is dominated by similar clays from repeated ash falls in SW Wyoming, and while the ground is green, little can grow there. By the time a seed sprouts, the clay dries and shrinks, pulling apart the sprouting plant and any roots.
The first ones killed would be the lucky ones.
The novel ‘Lucifer’s Hammer’ explores prepped type coping with a worldwide disaster, from the viewpoint of riding out a massive comet strike.
Judging by that map, we all need to move to Miami or Brownsville.
“You’ve posted an interesting article so don’t take this personally. It’s not written with you in mind.
This is however a good example of ‘a type’ of mindset that is of notice to me.
There are people and groups out there who seem to flock to talk of doom in mas.
Be it the next big killer flu bug, the next fatal communicable disease, the next planet ending space object, the next big tsunami, the next big volcano, or something else, these folks seem to need to find something to fixate on and obsess over it.”
Catastrophes are a fascinating topic to many, including myself. For the most part we’ve lived in placid times. Major upheaval would be a shock, and it’s probably worth thinking about what, if anything, it’s worth doing to prepare.
“There is also the thought that some people out the seem to think the public needs to obsess over this, for some reason.”
I don’t know about “obsess”, but I do think most people are terrible at risk assessment and should try to realistically reevaluate threats over time. I doubt too many folks rank “volcanic eruption” in the top ten things that might affect them or their families over the next few decades.
“In this story, there is admittedly a 90% chance nothing will happen, and I’d submit it’s probably more like 99.95% nothing will happen.”
One reason I find this story interesting is that during both of the most recent solar grand minimums (Maunder and Dalton), cooling was partly blamed on large volcanic eruptions. Such a minimum is beginning now, and this article claims we’re now in a “volcano season” of increased volcanic activity, which seems to be the case from what I’ve seen the last few years.
I have no idea what the causal link might be, but it seems there may be a link between extended periods of low solar activity, and volcanic activity. We’ll get a chance to see over the next few decades...
As to the probabilities, I think 10% over the next 90 years is probably not too far off for a VEI 7 eruption. It might even be low. We haven’t had one since Krakatoa in 1883.
A low VEI 7 might not have too an catastrophic effect on the US, but might result in lots of deaths in poor countries through famine. A high 7 or 8+ would very likely have a severe worldwide effect.
The only major disaster that might be more likely is nuclear war.
so, which came first...... the minimum or the eruption?
Maybe he can bring the cigars.
Good idea; to get to Hawaii he would have to fly west out of DC, right through the ash cloud.
I hear that volcanic ash does great things to jet engines.
You really gotta ask that question?
So the SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN; the coasts don’t produce enough food to feed all their Prog/Libs.
So they will all die of starvation in the cold and the dark, (the power will also be out).
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